Any musician who is self-releasing music will be acutely aware of the power of social media. Over the last two decades, social media has revolutionised the way that artists promote their work, enabling them to bypass traditional gatekeepers, connect directly with their audiences and engage new fans.
Platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X (formerly known as Twitter) and YouTube have provided musicians with unprecedented potential to showcase their talent, build a fanbase and shape their public image.
But while many musicians know what social media could do for them, the reality of actually doing it can be daunting. This is particularly the case for older musicians and non-digital natives, who didn’t grow up with social media, and for whom the whole process of utilising it to promote their music is far from instinctive.
But by focusing on your objectives, assessing your needs and finding the best platforms that work for you, tailoring a social media strategy for you and your music can be a fulfilling and career-enhancing process.
Choosing your platform
The first thing to decide is which social media platform, or platforms, to use and this is dictated by which platforms your fans and potential fans are using.
For example, TikTok is the fastest growing social media platform with over 15 million users in the UK alone. It’s a powerful tool for artists and its reach is phenomenal, but the bulk of users are between 18 and 34 years old, with the average age of a TikTok user being 24 years old.
So if your core audience is above that age group it is unlikely to be of much use to you in attracting fans of your music.
Facebook
By contrast, Facebook has a much broader demographic and is more suited to musicians with a 35 year plus fanbase. Launched in 2004, Facebook is rich in features to help engage fans, such as its Groups and Communities feature, where you can engage with fans interested in the same genre as you.
One simple way to engage fans is to send a friend request to anyone who has liked one of your posts. The Insights tab on Facebook is also useful. This enables you to analyse your fan demographic, the engagement of your posts, and the growth in popularity of your page.
Facebook and Instagram accounts can be linked, so posts on Facebook can be shared on Instagram and vice versa. Facebook’s advertising features are also useful for focused, targeted promotion.
Last Minute Musicians has a useful guide for musicians using Facebook.
Instagram
Instagram offers numerous features to help musicians grow their fanbase. There are over 35 million Instagram users in the UK. According to market research company Statista, 55% of the 30–49 age group use the Instagram platform and this age group amounts to 46% of all social media users in the UK.
Musicians can use Instagram features such as Reels and IGTV to showcase their music. Video clips of up to three minutes long can be posted on Reels, while IGTV is useful for videos of up to 60 minutes in length, if uploaded from a web browser, and 15 minutes long, if uploaded from a mobile device.
Instagram is a visually-led platform, which enables users to curate their photos and video clips. Instagram does not like URL links but it does allow you to add one in your 150 character biography. URL links can be used, however, on the text-based Instagram Threads platform.
Instagram Stories is another feature that enables musicians to share snippets of music and engage with fans. Digital distributor Ditto offers useful tips on how musicians can promote their music on Instagram.
Posting on Instagram Reels
Instagram Reels are generally considered to be the best Instagram platform for promoting new music and reaching new audiences, because of their focus on engaging, short-form content and their ability to go viral.
Reels are also more likely to be featured on Instagram’s Explore page, which can increase visibility. Reels can be used to share short-form vertical video and audio clips up to 90 seconds in length, and use relevant hashtags to reach target audiences. To post a Reel:
- In the Instagram mobile app, press the + icon at the centre bottom of the page
- At the bottom of this page, scroll over to ‘Reel’
- Select a pre-recorded video from your camera roll. Alternatively, you can also record a Reel there and then in the Instagram app by selecting the camera icon
- Hit ‘Next’, then add elements to the Reel, such as audio and text
- Click ‘Next’ again, add your relevant hashtags and a caption
- If you want to share the video with your followers, then simply hit ‘Share’.
X (formerly known as Twitter)
X (formerly Twitter) remains a useful tool for musicians who want to post fast-paced updates and teasers of new releases and projects.
X is still an ideal platform to promote your music due to its large and mixed user base. The use of hashtags is key to finding fans, as is the use of features such as Spaces, for live audio conversations and live streams. But beware, X can also be a hotbed of negativity and misinformation.
YouTube
YouTube is the second most powerful social media platform, after Facebook, with 2.5 billion monthly users compared to Facebook’s three billion.
YouTube has immense potential for finding fans. Strategies include using relevant keywords in titles, creating eye-catching thumbnails and cross-promoting your YouTube channel with other social media platforms.
To upload a video to YouTube you will need to create a Google account and then a YouTube channel. Short-form clips of up to 60 seconds can also be posted on YouTube Video Shorts.
Creating an account
Whatever platform you use, you will first need to create an account. All the social media platforms can be downloaded onto phones or tablet devices as apps. iPhone users can find the apps on the App Store, while those with Android devices can find apps on Google Play Store.
To access social media platforms from a laptop or desktop computer, visit the platforms’ websites to create an account.
Building your profile
Your profile is the first thing people will see so it pays to make it count.
Select a strong, dynamic header image. Most social media platforms offer preset template and colour options, and the process is largely intuitive.
The header image is essentially your advertising space, so If you have a new release or a tour coming up, include details about those here. Similarly, if you have a website, then include a call-to-action link to it here as well.
Planning and posting content
Before you post anything, take time to work out your brand and target audience. Look at the social media accounts of artists who you admire and who are in the same genre as you. Ask yourself which artists and bands you might share a bill with, then look at what social media platforms they and their fans use.
It pays to plan posts in advance and schedule them. A scattergun approach is relatively fruitless so post regularly to build genuine relationships with fans.
“I only post when I have something to sell, a song or a show and make it as easy as possible for people to access whatever it is I am hocking in one click” - Emily Breeze: Singer-songwriter, musician and songwriting lecturer @emilybreeze66
Any musician using social media will need to create a steady flow of content for posts about forthcoming releases and tours. Content can range from photos, live video and audio clips, to memes, tour promo and live giveaways. Content must be eye-catching, professional-looking and reflect your brand.
Behind-the-scenes studio or live clips can be particularly compelling for existing fans. Ultimately, you should post content that inspires and excites you.
“At best social media can be a sort of digital art gallery where you can share images that you love”, says Bristol singer-songwriter Emily Breeze. “I didn't have any budget for a video for our last release Fun, so I used footage of skateboarding dogs from YouTube which suited the song, and I often use images I have saved on pinterest from films I love or artists or muppets or whatever. This part is actually fun.”
The posts that seem to work for Breeze are the ones that involve a healthy dose of irreverence. “The posts where I take the p*** out of the process and talk like I would to my mates seem to go down well,” she says.
Emotional resonance
For musicians starting out on social media, there is nothing quite as demoralising as seeing other artists with hordes of followers. But focus on what other emerging artists in your genre are doing, says San Francisco-based music marketing consultant Matt Bacon.
“It's pointless to look at a superstar with millions of listeners”, Bacon tells the Musicians’ Union, “but there's a lot of value in looking at 'what is the guy with 20k more Spotify monthlies than me doing on social media’. And if you study enough of those artists you'll start to figure out content ideas.”
All new artists should focus on building a genuine relationship with their fans, he says. “Don't beg people to listen. Instead, focus on direct interaction and showcasing the emotional resonance behind your music.”
One critical factor when posting is assessing the amount of time people are spending viewing your content. “If you post a video that gets people to watch for thirty seconds, that will get spread a lot more in the algorithm then a single photo that everyone scrolls past,” says Bacon.
Don't beg people to listen. Instead, focus on direct interaction and showcasing the emotional resonance behind your music - Matt Bacon: Music marketing consultant @bacons.bits
Be yourself – the importance of authenticity
Some artists have a natural gift for writing witty, entertaining posts but many do not. The key to connecting with an audience is to be honest, authentic and to let your personality shine through.
“Don't worry about being funny, worry about being authentic” says Matt Bacon. “What people really care about is the emotions behind the music. We listen to music for the emotions it triggers within, so your content marketing needs to reflect that. It needs to show your music is fun, or sad, or nostalgic or whatever. The other thing that really helps is specifically shouting out your influences in your posts, especially with the text on screen on video. If you are tagging relevant influences then fans of those acts will stop and check you out.”
All social media platforms provide analytics tools, so it makes sense to use these to understand your audience and refine your strategy. That way you can analyse engagement rates, follower growth, and your post reach to gauge your success.
Building a relationship with fans
However you find your fans, it pays to remember that this is a two-way relationship. Followers aren’t just there to consume your music, they are there to build a relationship with you so engage with them. Artists should always respond to comments and messages as this will ensure they establish a true relationship with their audience.
Posting regularly is paramount when building a community (see boxout below). But beware. We have all experienced artists who post so frequently and forcefully that it becomes unwelcomed spam.
It’s important to acknowledge that your fans have their own lives too, and are not waiting with bated breath for every online utterance.
Consistency is key: the optimum times to post
Opinions vary on how often musicians should be posting but a general rule is 4-7 times a week on Facebook, 1-2 times a week on Instagram, 1-4 times a day on Twitter and 3-5 times a week on TikTok, while musicians are advised to maintain a similarly consistent schedule on their YouTube channel, posting at least two to three times a month.
The choice of day and time that you post is also important if you want to ensure optimum engagement. On Facebook, posting between 10am to 4pm on weekdays, particularly Mondays, is viewed by some as generating the best results. On Instagram, 10am-1pm and 4-6pm on weekdays, particularly Tuesdays and Wednesdays, are reportedly the best times.
On X (Twitter), weekdays between 8am to 10 am can yield the best results, while on TikTok, posting 9am and 1pm on Saturdays and Sundays has been cited as yielding the best results. These are only guides of course. It pays to experiment to find what days and times attract the best response from your posts.
Choosing your moments to post
Emily Breeze is a good example of an artist who only posts when she has something to promote, and whose posts have a healthy balance of wit and self-deprecation.
“I try to approach it with a sense of humour,” she says. “I only post when I have something to sell, a song or a show, and make it as easy as possible for people to access whatever it is I am hocking in one click. The only reason I am on social media there is to draw people's attention to my music which can feel cheap, because it is! But dignity is for cowards or the privileged. We put so much time into making our songs, they deserve to be given a life outside of the studio.”
Breeze advises others not to abandon more traditional proven methods for building and retaining your fanbase. “All of these platforms will eventually become overrun with A.I. slop and bots,” she says. “They will become extinct just like good old MySpace. So keeping a mailing list where you have direct email access to your audience is crucial.”
For social media to work, artists must be realistic about what they can achieve within the time constraints that they have. The challenges of sustaining a living as a musician in the 21st century are already challenging enough, so be kind to yourself and set realistic goals. See which platforms and which types of posts yield results and be guided by what works and what doesn’t.
Only by doing this can you develop a strategy that works for you and your fans as you promote your music in the months and years ahead.